Cleaning head for a mopping device

ABSTRACT

A cleaning head for a mop comprising a clamping strip and a cleaning body. The cleaning body fits in the clamping strip. The clamping strip is channel shaped and open towards the cleaning body and having two side walls and one connecting element connecting the side walls to each other. The connecting element has an inner side which faces the cleaning body and an outer side which faces away from the cleaning body. The clamping strip has a connecting region to connect the clamping strip to a mop adapter which accommodates the cleaning head. The connecting region has a stop which acts in an axial direction of a handle of the mop and is configured to be placed on a counter stop on the adapter. The stop is disposed in an imaginary plane extending parallel to the connecting strip. An attachment mechanism is in the imaginary plane.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a cleaning head for a mop, comprising a clamping strip and a cleaning body, the cleaning body being accommodated in the clamping strip with a force fit and/or interlocking fit, the clamping strip being substantially channel shaped and being open towards the cleaning body and having two side walls and one connecting strip which connects the side walls to each other, the connecting strip having an inner side which faces the cleaning body and an outer side which faces away from the cleaning body, the clamping strip having a connecting region which extends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning head for the purpose of connecting the clamping strip to a mop adapter which accommodates the cleaning head, the connecting region having, on the outer side of the connecting strip, at least one stop which can be placed on a counter stop on the adapter, and the stop being arranged in an imaginary plane which extends parallel to the connecting strip.

BACKGROUND

An example of a cleaning head is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,901. Attachment means are arranged on the outer side of the connecting strip, said attachment means protruding outwards from the outer side of the connecting strip, away from the cleaning body. These attachment means may, for example, be in the form of fastening tabs which are formed integrally with the clamping strip.

The design of the clamping strip makes it inconvenient and time-consuming for users to change the cleaning head.

Usually, cleaning heads are sold separately from mops as spare parts. In such cases, the cleaning heads are packaged individually in plastics film or cardboard. The protrusion of the attachment means from the outer side of the connecting strip not only increases the dimensions of the packaging of a cleaning head of this type by the height of the attachment means, but also poses the risk of the packaging becoming damaged whilst the cleaning head is being transported or being stored in a retail outlet, especially since the attachment means are frequently manufactured with sharp edges.

A further disadvantage is that when changing the cleaning head, it is easy for users of the mop to injure themselves on the attachment means which protrude perpendicularly from the outer side of the connecting strip.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a cleaning head for a mop comprising a clamping strip and a cleaning body. The cleaning body fits in the clamping strip. The clamping strip is channel shaped and open towards the cleaning body and having two side walls and one connecting element connecting the side walls to each other. The connecting element has an inner side which faces the cleaning body and an outer side which faces away from the cleaning body. The clamping strip has a connecting region to connect the clamping strip to a mop adapter which accommodates the cleaning head. The connecting region has a stop which acts in an axial direction of a handle of the mop and is configured to be placed on a counter stop on the adapter. The stop is disposed in an imaginary plane extending parallel to the connecting strip. An attachment mechanism is in the imaginary plane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. All features described and/or illustrated herein can be used alone or combined in different combinations in embodiments of the invention. The features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following:

FIG. 1 is a cleaning head according to the invention as an individual component and a mop which comprises an adapter for accommodating the cleaning head;

FIG. 2 is the mop from FIG. 1, in which the cleaning head is connected to the handle of the mop by means of the adapter;

FIG. 3 is the cleaning head, which is connected to the adapter, in a simplified view; and

FIG. 4 is a cleaning head which is similar to the cleaning head in FIG. 1, but the locking lugs being arranged differently.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An aspect of the invention is to develop a cleaning head that can be changed quickly and easily and has a low volume when it is packaged, the packaging that surrounds the cleaning head does not become damaged during transportation and storage, and the risk of users injuring themselves when using the cleaning head is reduced to a minimum.

The aspect is achieved in that at least one attachment means is arranged in the imaginary plane.

An advantage of this is that the connecting region, despite having at least one attachment means, is substantially flat and, as a result, the attachment means in the connecting region hardly protrudes perpendicularly above the plane in which the stop is arranged. Overall, the cleaning head is compact in size and the cleaning head packaging does not become damaged if, for example, cleaning heads are packaged and stored one on top of the other. It is also advantageous that, as a result of the attachment means being arranged in the plane, it is especially easy and unproblematic for users to handle the cleaning head when, for example, they have damp and/or slippery hands.

The arrangement of the attachment means in the plane allows the cleaning head to be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

The arrangement of the attachment means in the plane results in the outer side of the connecting strip being formed in the connecting region without any disruptive projections and in it being particularly easy to attach the cleaning head to the adapter. The components can be attached to each other quickly and easily with a precise fit and without any canting. Whilst the mop is being used for its intended purpose, the cleaning head and the adapter are connected to each other precisely and largely without play. This means that the mop is particularly comfortable to use.

An embodiment of the cleaning head according to the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 1 to 4.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the cleaning head according to the invention as an individual component in a non-assembled state.

The handle 21 of the mop 1 is also shown, the mop handle 21 forming a preassembled unit 26 together with the adapter 11.

The mop handle 21 comprises a system of rods 32 operated by a hand lever 31, the system of rods 32 being connected to the adapter 11 as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3. Operating the hand lever 31 allows the adapter 11 to be moved up and down as required in the axial direction 33 of the mop handle 21 between the two mop-wringing rollers 34, 35, the cleaning body 3 of the cleaning head which is connected to the adapter 11 being drawn through the mop-wringing rollers 34, 35 by the upward movement and thereby being wrung out. After the cleaning body 3 has been wrung out, a downward movement shapes the cleaning head into the ready-to-use form thereof (cf. FIG. 2).

In the embodiment described herein, the cleaning head comprises a stainless steel clamping strip 2, the cleaning body 3 taking the form of a cleaning sponge and being accommodated in the clamping strip with a force fit and interlocking fit. The interlocking fit can be formed for example by the two side walls 4, 5 having, on the sides thereof facing each other, retaining hooks which penetrate the surface of the cleaning body 3.

The clamping strip 2 is formed in the shape of a channel, is open in the axial direction 33 towards the cleaning body 3 and is delimited by the two side walls 4, 5 which are connected to each other by the connecting element 6.

The connecting region 10 is arranged on the outer side 8 of the connecting strip 6, said outer side facing away from the cleaning body 3 and said connecting region marking the region on the outer side 8 of the connecting strip 6 which is covered by the adaptor 11 when the mop 1 is ready for use. This connecting region 10 is shown for example particularly clearly in FIG. 3.

The connecting region 10 on the outer side 8 of the connecting strip 6 is in the form of a flat stop 13 which is arranged in the imaginary plane 12. The attachment means is also arranged in the imaginary plane 12.

In the embodiment described, the attachment means is formed of the two locking lugs 15, 16, which are components of the connecting strip 6 and extend in the connecting region 10 transversely to the longitudinal direction 9. The locking lugs 15, 16 extend transversely to the longitudinal direction 9 beyond their respective side walls 4, 5, each forming an undercut 17, 18. The locking projections 27, 28 on the adapter 11 snap into place to connect to the locking lugs 15, 16. To release the cleaning head from the adapter 11, the locking projections 27, 28 on the adapter 11 are moved away from each other transversely to the longitudinal direction 9 in the opposite direction to the direction in which they were locked together by operating the lever 30, thereby releasing the locked connection between the cleaning head and the adapter 11. The cleaning head can, for example, subsequently be changed.

On the sides which face each other, the cleaning head and the adapter 11 have a stop 13 and a counter stop 14, said stops coming into contact with each other.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the locking lugs 15, 16 on the side walls 4, 5 are offset from each other in the longitudinal direction 9 in such a way that the strength of the material of the connecting strip 6 in the region of the locking lugs 15, 16 is only negligibly weakened.

In the embodiment described herein, the only components to protrude beyond the plane 12 are the positioning knobs 19, 20, making it easier for users to position the cleaning head relative to the adapter 11. The preassembled unit 26, which comprises the mop handle 21 and the adapter 11, is placed on the cleaning head in the axial direction 33, in such a way that the adapter 11 and its inner side 25, which is in the form of a counter stop 14, comes into contact with the stop 13 on the clamping strip 2. Pressure is then applied to the mop handle 21 in the axial direction 33 and the locking projections 27, 28 on the adapter 11, which are formed integrally with the side webs 22, 23, interlock with the locking lugs 15, 16 on the cleaning head.

FIG. 2 shows the mop 1 ready for use, the components shown in FIG. 1 being attached together.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the mop 1, in which, for the sake of clarity, the mop-wringing rollers 34, 35 from FIGS. 1 and 2 are not shown.

The cleaning head is connected to the adapter 11 with an interlocking fit, the locking projections 27, 28 on the adapter 11 being able to be opened by a release mechanism 29 and thereby released from the locking lugs 15, 16 on the cleaning head without being destroyed. In the embodiment described herein, the release mechanism 29 is formed of a lever 30 which pulls the connecting web 24 downwards. The connecting web 24 connects the side webs 22, 23 on the adapter 11 to each other.

As described above, the cleaning head is released from the adapter 11 as a result of the lever 30 being moved upwards by, for example, the user's foot. The locking projections 27, 28 on the adapter 11 are consequently moved away from each other transversely to the longitudinal direction 9 and release the locking lugs 15, 16 on the cleaning head and thereby the entire cleaning head as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a cleaning head which is similar to the cleaning head in FIG. 1, the locking lugs 15, 16 being arranged differently on the outer side 8 of the clamping strip 2. The locking lugs 15, 16 are arranged directly opposite each other when viewed in the longitudinal direction 9. The way in which the locking lugs 15, 16 are arranged directly opposite each other means that no moments occur when connecting/releasing the cleaning head to/from the adapter 11, thereby preventing canting when attaching/removing the cleaning head. An arrangement of this type at the same time allows the locking lugs 15, 16 to engage with or to be released from the adapter 11. This makes the cleaning head easier to handle.

Lead-in chamfers 36, 37 for the self-centring assembly of the clamping strip 2 in the longitudinal direction 9 relative to the adapter 11 can be arranged on the sides of the side walls 4, 5 which face away from each other. In the embodiment described herein, the lead-in chamfers 36, 37 are arranged trapezoidally to each other and interact with correspondingly designed guide bars on the adapter 11.

During assembly, the components to be attached together 2, 11 are thereby automatically positioned relative to one other in the longitudinal direction 9 and subsequently interlocked.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below.

The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements. Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as being inclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “A and B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “at least one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C, regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise. Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B or C” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning head for a mop, the cleaning head comprising: a clamping strip and a cleaning body, the cleaning body being accommodated in the clamping strip with at least one of a force fit or an interlocking fit, the clamping strip being substantially channel shaped and being open towards the cleaning body and having two side walls and one connecting element which connects the side walls to each other, the connecting element having an inner side which faces the cleaning body and an outer side which faces away from the cleaning body, the clamping strip having a connecting region which extends in a longitudinal direction of the cleaning head so as to connect the clamping strip to a mop adapter which accommodates the cleaning head, the connecting region having, on the outer side of the connecting strip, at least one stop which acts in an axial direction of a handle of the mop and which is configured to be placed on a counter stop on the adapter, the stop being disposed in an imaginary plane which extends parallel to the connecting strip; wherein at least one attachment mechanism is disposed in the imaginary plane.
 2. The cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the connecting strip has, in the connecting region transverse to the longitudinal direction, an attachment mechanism on both sides, each attachment mechanism taking the form of a locking lug, and in that the locking lugs are disposed in the imaginary plane and extend transversely to the longitudinal direction beyond the respective side walls on which locking lugs are formed and delimit an undercut.
 3. The cleaning head according to claim 2, wherein the locking lug formed on one of the side walls is offset in the longitudinal direction from the locking lug on the other of the side walls.
 4. The cleaning head according to claim 2, wherein the locking lugs are disposed directly opposite each other when viewed in the longitudinal direction.
 5. The cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the outer side in the longitudinal direction comprises, on at least one side of a region outside the connecting region, a positioning knob protruding beyond the imaginary plane and used to correctly position and attach the cleaning head to the adapter.
 6. The cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein lead-in chamfers for a self-centering assembly of the clamping strip in the longitudinal direction relative to the adapter are positioned on sides of the side walls which face away from each other.
 7. The cleaning head according to claim 2, wherein the clamping strip is formed integrally and of uniform material and comprises the locking lugs and at least one positioning knob protruding beyond the imaginary plane and used to correctly position and attach the cleaning head to the adapter.
 8. The cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the clamping strip is made of a corrosion-resistant material. 